The Power of SharePoint Workflows

Many people, with only a brief familiarity with Microsoft’s SharePoint platform consider it merely a glorified file share. However this shortchanges your investment and misses a great opportunity.  The SharePoint platform is a great tool for rapid development of useful business process applications.

A key feature that enables this is the ability to easily add automation … i.e.  workflows.

What is a workflow?

A workflow is the ability to have SharePoint take action based upon a condition. That condition could be the creation of an item, or the change in value or state of something.

Workflows can:

• monitor for actions
• create/update/delete new items
• send emails
• manage dates
• wait for extended periods of time
• perform calculations
• create and manage variables
• connect with external data sources
• loop through items
• … and more

Handy Quick Reference Charts

However getting started can be a bit overwhelming, so I wanted to share this very useful matrix and site I came across: “Workflow actions quick reference for Sharepoint 2013” and if you are still running SharePoint 2010, there is a reference for 2010 as well

Just a note if you are getting started, you should realize that SharePoint 2010 workflows have some features that SharePoint 2013 workflows don’t. So at times, I’ve blended a SharePoint 2013 workflow and a 2010 workflow together. So it’s useful to understand SharePoint 2010 as well.  So to that end, don’t miss the “2010 Workflow conditions quick reference” on this site as well.

I think you’ll find the above very useful as you work on your own workflows!